Lifting and transporting truck



March 12k, 1940.

w. o. TRUITT ET AL 2,193,047 LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING TRUCK u Filed Aug. 25, '195s 4 sheets-snee@ 1 March 12, 1940. W Q TRU|TT ET AL 2,193,047

LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING TRUCK Filed Aug. 25,1958 4 sheets-sheet 2 Bnvcntors. WILL/m2 O. TFU/TT March 12, 1940. W 0, TRUI-r1' ET AL 2,193,047

LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING TRUCK Filed Aug. 25, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 mventors: WILL/AM O. TRU/T7' AND 1w WnLLAcE Feu/TT Gttomcu March 12, 1940. w. o. TRun-T ET A1.

LIFTING ND TRANSPORTING TRUCK Filed Aug. 25, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 j.. WWU. .J www W. .M ma.. c 0 F. M- 4 um.

Patented Mar. 12, 1940 PATENT OFFICE LIFTING AND rRANsPoR'rING TRUCK william o. Truite and Wallace B. Truitt, Greensboro, N. C.

Application August 25, 1938, Serial No. 226,782

, 9 claims. (o1. 21a-10)' This invention relates to an apparatus for lift- Figure 2 is an end elevation looking at the ing heavy objects such as `warp beams in tex-` tile mills and comprises a mechanism capable of having two motions, one a vertical lift and Si 'the other a horizontal movement. Although the present apparatus' is primarily designed to lift and transport warp beams, it may be used or adapted for use with a plurality of articles such, as bundles, bales, boxes or packages using the same general principles without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is a well known fact that textile mills have their looms arranged in parallel rows so that a very small aisle will be disposed between adjacent rows of looms. The obvious reason for so positioning the looms is to conserve iioor space and thereby position more looms within a given space and to provide aisles for transporting warp h beams and cloth rolls. l0 the looms, it is necessary at times, to remove heavy beams of cloth from the take-up end of the looms adjacent the aisles as well as to replace exhausted warp beams in the other end of the looms. Due to the narrowness of the aisles, it is necessary to provide a relatively narrow truck for carrying the warp beams to and from the loom. However, when it is necessary to place `the beam in position or remove it, from the looms, it is necessary to boom out, or cantilever the beam into space so that it can be lowered into the bearings on the loom.\ When this is done, it is also necessary to extend the width of the base to prevent overturning of the truck.

It is,` therefore, an object ofY this invention to provide a portable truck having a mast thereon for carrying heavy objects, such as textile beams, said truck having apparatus associated therewith for moving the mast laterally of the truck and also having other apparatus associated with 0 the lower end ofthe mast for simultaneously ex tending the width of the truck base in the direction that the mast is moving.

It is a further object oi this invention to provide a portable truck base having a boom piv- 5 otally secured thereto and also having means for supporting a load on the upper end of the boom, with means for cantilevering the boom relative to said truck, and means for simultaneously extending the base of the truckv so that a vertical center line through the load which is carried bythe mast will always pass through the base of the truck, as well as means for lifting the beam relative to the truck fortransporting the same along the aisles. 5,-, Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other'objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lifting apparatus;

During the operation of left-hand side of Figure 1 showing the mast of the lifting device in an upright vertical position, and showing the load carried thereby in position for being transported from place to place;

Figure 3 a view similar to Figure 2 .but showe ing the mast in an inclined position and also showing the base in an extended position with the load raised from or ready to be lowered tol a loom, respectively;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view `taken along the line 13H4 in Figure l;

Figure lA is `an isometric view of a crank which is adapted to be used for extending the base of the lifting apparatus or for retracting the i* saine;

Figure 5 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view `taken along the line 5-5 in Figures 1 and 4, showing the base of the lifting apparatus in an extended position;

Figure 6 `is a transverse, vertical, sectional view taken along the line 6 6 in Figures l and-4;

Figure 7 is a transverse, vertical, sectional View through the lower end of the mast and taken along the line l-l in Figures `1 and 4;

Figure 8 is a vertical, sectional view taken along the line 3 8 in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional View taken along they line S-Q in Figure '7;

Figure l0 is a vertical sectional along the line it-l in Figure 7;

Figure 1l. is a sectional detail View taken along line ii-ll in Figure 6; i

Figure 12 is a View showing a slightly modiiied form of the invention in which the mast is pivotally secured to the truck instead of being mounted for bodily movement thereon, as in the preceding form. ,y

The machine consists primarily of thefollowing parts: (l) A truck supported on wheels for View taken veasily moving from place to" place; (2) a mast consisting o=i one or more uprghts with bases for supports when the mast is moved sidewise of the truck; (3) a means for racking the mast sidewise and moving the supported load to position laterally of the truck in suc-h a manner that the center of gravity of the load will fallinside the center line oi the supporting wheel at the base of the mast; (4) a means for hoisting and lowering the load. t

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral lil denotes the framework of a truck which has mounted in its lower portion main wheels` l2 on fixed axes. Also mounted in the lower portion of the truck framework Il) as at lli are swivel casters l5, having their lower peripheries elevated slightly above the oor line for easy steering. As the truckis being moved from place to place, the main wheels l2 carry the lmajor portion of the load; however, the swivel Fig. 3, so that the beam will lie in the proper vertical planelior lowering into the bearings on the loom or for placing on the fioor. Then by inserting the Jcrank 3| onto the squared end |9a of the shaft I9, and turning the shaft I9 in a counter-clockwise manner in Figures 2 and 3, it is seen that the thruster housing 20, tubular members 49, lifting assembly comprising members 6l, 6B, 59 and the beam 5I may be bodily moved to the left. Of course, when this counterclockwise movement is `imparted to this shaft, the gear teeth I8 will engage the teeth in racks I'I to effect this movement. While this movement to the left takes pla-ce, the truck Ill and its supporting Wheels remain in the sameposition on the floor.

It is a well known fact that when the vertical center line through the center of gravity of an object flalls outside of the base of the objects, that an overturning movement will be effected. Applying this same principle to the present invention, it is necessary to provide means to insure` that the vertical center line through `the load or beam will not fall without the base which is supporting it. We have therefore provided a thruster mechanism that moves laterally in the same general direction as the beam 5| and also simultaneously with the lateral movement of the beam. This thruster mechanism provides a means for extending the width of the base of the truck I so that a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the beam 5I will always lie within the base of the truck and prevent an overturning of the load and the supporting assembly.

This thruster mechanism comprises three rollers namely 8U, 8| and 82 at each end of the truck which rollers are rotatably mounted between bars 83. The rollers 80 and 3| are normally disposed within the `thruster housing 29, and are supported by a plate 84 in the bottom of the thruster housing and also supported by bars 85 and 86 which are also disposed in the thruster housing directly above the rollers. The roller 82 is somewhat larger than the rollers Sil and 8|', and this roller is disposed normally on the exterior of the thruster housing with its lower periphery slightly above the top of the oor. Secured between the plates 83 at a point between the rollers 8l) and 8| is a bracket 8l, said bracket being secured to these plates by means of screws 88 (see Figure '7). Secured on the top of this bracket by means of screws 89 is a rack 90, which meshes with gear teeth 9| cut in a short shaft 92, said shaft 92 being journaled in the sidewalls of thruster housing 2B. The shaft 92 projects through the exterior of the thruster housing 2|? and has rlxedly secured on the exterior end thereof a gear 94. This gear is adapted to mesh with an idler gear 95 pivoted as at 96 to the side of the thruster housing 29. The idler gear 96 meshes with another idler g-ear 97 rotatably mounted as at 98 to the exterior of thruster housing 29 and this gear meshes with gear teeth 99, cut in the end of shaft |9. While only one thruster assembly has been described, it` is to be understood that each thrusterhousing 2|) has an identical assembly thereon.

When the crank 3| is inserted on one end of the shaft I9 and counterclockwise rotation has been imparted (Figure 2), the mast d0 andthe hoisting mechanism carried by the upper end thereof, gradually will move to the left. After a slight amount of rotation, the rollerr 33 will L move out from under thesemi-circular plate 34.

` of the crane.

When the thruster housing and the mast have, been forced a distance to the left in Figure 2, necessary tocause the point 34a to move past the` top of roller 33 as shown in Figures 5 and 6, then the top of the mast will tilt, that is, rotate slightly in a counter-clockwise manner substantially to the position shown in Figure 3. In the meantime, due to the gears 94, 95, S'I and the gear teeth 99, the racks 9D, the rollers 89 and 8| and 82 will `be simultaneously forced to the left in Figures 2 and 3. This movement to the left is always sufficient to keep a vertical center line through the left-hand roller 82 in Figure 3 ilarmove to the left while the truck Ill remains stationary. It is also seen that the rollers 8|), 8| and 82 move tothe left at a much faster rate than the other parts, so as to provide a base sufiiciently wide to prevent overturning of the entire` assembly.

The rollers 33 do not support anythingl fll Figure 12 shows a modified form of the in- 4 vention, in which like reference characters will apply to like parts. In this form the tubular members are pivotally secured as at |92 to a truck |93, made substantially along the same lines as truck I0 just described. This truck has main rollers I2, and swivel caster rollers I5. Fixedly secured on the end of shaft M12, is a gear segment |94 which meshes with a gear |05,

said gear |95 also meshing with an idler gear- |06. The gears and |95 are rotatably secured to theside of truck |93. Gear |66 meshes with another idler pinion |51 which pinion also meshes with rack |98. The rack |08 is secured to the upper side of bracket MI5, vsaid bracket being adapted to support rollers l'I', III, and IIZ the rollers H0 and lll being adapted to roll between upper and lower trackways i3 and ||4, respectively. It will be noted that the upper trackway II3 has a cam surface H5 on the lower w side thereof near its right-hand end, which, when engaged by the right-hand roller llt will tilt the left hand roller H2 slightly upwardly from the iioor.

The `gear is adapted to mesh with a worm I said gear being mounted on shaft I8 and the end of this shaft accommodates a crank ||9 for rotating this shaft and the worm. As the crank I I9 is turned, a clockwise rotary motion is imparted to the gear |05 which will turn the gear segment |94 and the tubular members 4|) to cause these members to cantilever their load 5I to the left. Simultaneously with the cantilevering of this load, that is the counter-clockwise rotation of the tubular members 4D, the rack IIlB and its associated rollers I I 0, I and I2 will move to the left to increase the width of the base. This form of the invention varies from the preceding form in that the mast is pivoted at one point which remains stationary during the raising or lowering Also the upper end of the mast can be rotated through a greater arc and consequently more remote points may be reached when fitis desired to raise or to lower the load.

In the drawings and specification, there has :been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In a hoisting and transporting truck, a rectangular base, a pair of wheels mounted for rotation centrally of the base on an axis disposed transverselyof the base, a pair of caster wheels carried by the ends of the base and normally out of Contact with the floor on which the truck rests when the truck is level, a pair of members telescoped in the base and each having a wheel on its outer end held out of Contact with the iioor when the members are telescoped in the base, a mast carried by the base and having hoisting means thereon, means for tilting the mast laterally of the base and also for moving said members out of telescoping relation to the base to cause the wheels on the outer ends of the members to oontact the fioor and maintain the equilibrium of the truck when the mast is tilted.

2. In a hoisting and transporting truck, a rectangular base, a pair of wheels mounted for rotation centrally of the `base on an axis disposed transversely of the base, a pair of caster wheels carried by the ends of the base and normally out of contact with the floor on which the truck rests when the truck is level, a pair of members telescoped in the base and each having a wheel on its outer end held out of Contact with the floor when the members are telesooped in the base, a mast carried by the base and having hoisting means thereon, means for moving the mast laterally of the base and also for moving said members out of telescopingrelation to the base to cause the wheels on the outer ends of the members to contact theoor vand maintain the equilibrium of the truck when the mast is moved.

3. A truck for transporting web rolls and the like along aisles in textile mills and the like, oomvprising an elongated base provided with wheels mounted for rotation on an axis disposed transversely of the base, a pair of caster wheels disposed on each side of said axis and out of contact lwith the floor on which the base rests when the base is level, an upwardly extending mast having hoisting mechanism thereon, a pair of membersmounted in the base for sliding movement laterally of the base, each of said pair of members having a wheel in its outer end held out of contact with the floor when the members are disposed within the base, means for moving said members outwardly of the base to cause their wheels to Contact the floor and at the same time moving said mast laterally of the base.

4. In a hoisting and transporting truck, a base member having wheels on its lower surface for Contact with a iioor, a pair of thruster housings mounted for movement laterally of the base, a mast structure carried by the thruster housings and having a hoisting mechanism disposed on its upper end, a pair of guideways in the thruster housings, a wheeled member mounted for movement in each guideway, the outer end of each wheeled member having a wheel thereon for oontacting the floor when the wheeled members are moved laterally of the thruster housing, means carried by the thruster housings and engaging the base for moving the thruster housings laterally of the base and at the same time tilting the mast structure laterally of the base, and other means connected to the last-named means for moving the wheeled members out of the thruster housings to cause the wheel on the outer?,A end of eachl wheeled member to engage the oor and maintain a position at all times outside the center of gravity of the truck and the load carried by the hoisting mechanism. v

5. A wheeled truck having an upstanding mast structure provided with hoist'mg means on its upper end, a pair of normally inoperative wheeled members movable laterally and downwardly of the truck to increase its overall width, and common means for moving the mast laterally of the truck and moving said wheeled members laterally and downwardly of the truck fora loading ;j

and unloading operation.

6. A truck comprising a wheeled base member, and a structure movable laterally of the base member, the structure having a hoisting mechanism in its upper portion and a plurality of wheels l,

in its lower portion normally out of Contact with the floor and being movable into Contact with the floor when the structure is moved laterally of the base member, means for moving the structure laterally of the base member, and means actuated by the last-named means for moving said wheels at a greater rate relative to the base member than the rate at which the structure is moved.

7. A truck comprising a wheeled base member provided with a pair of ends and a pair of sides, an upwardly inclined guideway disposed in each end, a rack associated'with each guideway, a framework having a mast structure rising therefrom, a hoisting mechanism on the upper end oi the mast structure, a rotatable shaft mounted in the framework and having pinions thereon for engagement with said racks, flanged rollers on said shaft for movement in said guideways, inclined guiding means disposed between the framework and the base for tilting the framework and equipped with a hoisting mechanism and provided with a pair of laterally extensible members having wheels on their outer ends for engaging the floor on which the truck rests, means for tilting the mast structure laterally of the truck, and other means operable by the first-named means for moving said extensible members laterally of the truck in the same direction as the mast strucis tilted simultaneously with the tilting of the mast structure.

g. A portable truck base having a boom pivotally secured thereto and also having means for supporting a load on the upper end of the boom, with means for cantilevering the boom relative to said truck, and means for simultaneouslyextending the base of the truck so that a vertical center line through the load which is carried by the mast will always pass through the base of the truck.

WILLIAM O. TRUI'IT. WALLACE .B, 

